By admin 
San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan spoke to reporters Tuesday for the first time since his car accident earlier this month that led to multiple serious injuries and his unavailability at the start of training camp. He wanted to clear the air.
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Shanahan shared that the accident was his fault that and it was incorrectly reported in California’s vehicle accident database, as first noted by ESPN.
The accident happened at 6:12 p.m. July 14 while Shanahan was driving home from a chiropractic appointment, he said. He said his cellphone slipped between the seats in his 2023 Tesla Model S, and when he looked down to pick it up he veered into oncoming traffic and hit a 21-year-old woman driving a Mercedes-Benz SUV on Alma Street in Palo Alto.
Reporters said Shanahan was “emotional” when describing what happened.
“I was going 20 miles an hour,” Shanahan said, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. “I was not on my phone. But I dropped my phone and it was stuck (between) my seats — it was on my lap and it slid off. And I went down to look for it, and took my eyes off the road for two seconds, and as I was coming up, the airbags hit my face broke my nose. And then they said the visor really gashed me.”
Shanahan suffered a concussion, broken nose, broken ribs, a broken hand and required roughly 40 stitches in his face. General manager John Lynch said Shanahan will go through a concussion protocol similar to players, and Shanahan is expected to be back in time to coach the regular season opener Sept. 10 when the 49ers travel to Melbourne, Australia, to play the Los Angeles Rams.
Shanahan, who is 46, said he did not suffer from symptoms associated with severe concussions. He said fatigue is among the biggest side effects he’s working to overcome, according to ESPN.
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“I did not have amnesia,” Shanahan said, according to NBC Sports Bay Area. “I don’t have amnesia. I remember the wreck, and I never got knocked out.”
Shanahan, who has coached the 49ers since 2017, was at the team’s facility during the first two training camp practices Sunday and Monday. He watched portions of the session from afar standing next to Lynch.
Offensive line coach Chris Foerster has been handling head coaching duties in Shanahan’s stead. Foerster had “assistant head coach” officially added to his title this offseason.
The 49ers held a “jog-thru” practice on Tuesday that wasn’t open to reporters. They’ll be back on the practice field for another non-padded practice Wednesday.
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